Marty is left behind
by Smudgie
Summary: What if Doc had reacted differently in the alternate 1985?
1. Chapter 1

X

'No! No, this can't be happening!' cried Marty, falling to his knees. 'Please, no!'

The torchlight flickered over the headstone. _George McFly…_

Marty couldn't breathe. The writing on the headstone in front of him blurred as his eyes filled with tears. The wind howled in the trees around him. Far away, a siren wailed.

His father was dead.

His father was _dead!_

He grabbed a handful of grass and clenched it tightly, trying to find something solid in this world to hold onto, to steady him. But even though he could feel the grass, hear the night, feel the tears trickling down his cheeks, it wasn't like he was in a real world.

He stared at the headstone. George McFly, his father, was down there in the ground. There was no denying it, he could not make himself believe that this was a dream, that it could be fixed, that it didn't matter…another Marty was in this world, so was his mother and brother and sister, his father was dead, Biff corrupt and powerful…and it was happening.

It was real.

'This can't be happening,' he said aloud, his eyes never leaving the etched words of the headstone; but he knew the truth.

Suddenly, cold fear flooded through him as a shadow fell across the beam of his torch. He whirled around in a panic, trying to hold the torch steady as he shone it towards the dark figure approaching him.

'I'm afraid it is happening, Marty,' called Doc grimly.

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Doc's lab was a mess. It seemed to have been abandoned for years. The few candles that Doc had lit cast ghostly shadows everywhere, and the wind moaned through the gaps in the walls.

The entire time that Doc showed Marty the picture of Biff with the Sports Almanac and explained what had happened and explained what they had to do, Marty had simply clutched the newspaper cutting that told of his father's murder, saying nothing, thinking nothing, feeling nothing. But when Doc had finished, he knew one thing.

'It's all my fault,' he whispered. 'Everything's my fault…if I hadn't been so stupid in 2015, none of this would have happened!'

Doc paused for a moment, his face in shadow; then he stepped forward, his face expressionless.

'Marty,' he breathed. 'What have you done?'

Marty tried to say something, but found that he couldn't get the words past the painful lump in his throat. Hot tears filled his eyes.

'Insane!' cried Doc, striding over to the bench and snatching up the newspaper cutting that declared him insane. 'I've been locked up! What have I suffered in this world? How many other people have suffered?'

There were no words in any world or time to describe how Marty felt at that moment. 'I'm sorry, Doc,' he managed to choke out.

'Sorry!' yelled Doc, almost hysterically. 'Sorry! Sorry won't cut it! Why don't you say sorry to the other me and the other people's whose lives you've ruined, and see how they take it!'

He strode towards the door and out of the garage. Einstein whined and padded quickly after him.

Marty hurried out into the night after them. The street was deserted, and the flickering streetlights only deepened the shadows. The DeLorean was parked on the kerb, and Doc was already climbing into it.

As Marty approached, Doc slammed down the door and rolled down the window. 'No, Marty,' he shouted, his eyes wild. 'You can stay here!'

'_Stay here? _Doc, are you insane?' shouted Marty, struggling to make his voice heard above the wind.

'You made this world, now stay in it!'

'But where are you going?'

'Anywhere – the past preferably! I have no wish to stay in this hell!'

'What about the plan? I can get the information off Biff, we can stop this from ever happening – '

'What's the point?' yelled Doc. 'Will it eliminate the fact that so many people have suffered because of you and your greediness?' He started up the car.

'No, Doc,' shouted Marty, banging desperately on the DeLorean's exterior, causing pain to shoot up his wrists. 'Please, Doc, don't leave me here – '

But Doc was pulling away from he kerb.

As he revved up the car, he looked at Marty, and Marty looked back.

He didn't try to run after Doc anymore. He just stood miserably on the kerb and said brokenly, 'You're my best friend, Doc.'

For a moment he thought Doc hesitated; but then the car roared away down the road, leaving Marty behind. There were three booms, a flash of light, and the DeLorean and Doc were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

After the noise when the DeLorean left, everything suddenly seemed much more  
quiet than before.

Much more lonely.

Marty was still staring at the place where the DeLorean had just  
disappeared. He couldn't believe what Doc had done to him.

He had left him here in an alternate Hill Valley. He had nowhere to go, no   
one to turn to. Biff would kill him if he went back to his mother.

An hour ago, Marty had believed that everything in the world was as awful as it was possible to get. He had been proved wrong. Even though his father was dead, his mother married to Biff, he was in a horrible world where nothing was the same…he had thought Doc would be with him, that they could bear it together. Doc had even told him the plan, the plan to try to set everything right…and then, totally unexpectedly, he'd completely flipped out and taken off into another time.

Leaving Marty behind.

Marty pressed his knuckles to his forehead. 'Jesus, Doc,' he whispered,  
wanting to cry again. 'I didn't mean for this to happen… I'm sorry… Please  
come back. Please…'

The full horror of the situation hit him, and he almost staggered backwards  
from the shock. 'Doc,' he shouted into the silence. 'Doc, please!'

Doc couldn't hear him. Doc would never hear him again.

But before he could break down completely, he was alerted by the sound of a car drawing up near him. He nervously took a few steps away. He had seen   
some of what kind of people now lived in Hill Valley, and wasn't willing to  
experience it head-on.

He didn't have a choice. Not giving him a chance to run away or even to  
prepare to defend himself, two men jumped out of the car and seized him by  
the arms, digging their fingers painfully into him.

'Hey!' shouted Marty, struggling angrily; but they were stronger than him,   
and he received a blow on the head for the second time that night. Dizzy  
from pain, the strength went out of him. He let himself be dragged to the  
car and thrown in. He heard the door slam and the engine rumble, and then  
they were driving away.

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The blue flashes that were flickering across the windscreen of the DeLorean  
disappeared, and Doc braked, wincing at the squeal of the tires on the road  
that would surely alert anyone about. But the sonic booms would have been  
louder; and besides, there was no one about to hear the noisy arrival. This  
was Hill Valley, 1940, at three o'clock in the morning, and everyone was  
asleep in bed.

Doc slumped back in the seat with a sigh, reaching out to rest his hand on  
Einstein's head. It was raining, blurring the windows, but Doc didn't feel  
the slightest inclination to get out of the car and see what the street he  
lived on used to be like.

1940 had been an almost unconscious decision. Doc had just chosen a year  
that was as yet untainted by Biff's tyranny.

It was all to come. And Doc had no way of knowing when it would all begin, when the old Biff would give young Biff the almanac, and events would spiral out of control, turning Hill Valley into some sort of hellhole.

Where he had left Marty.

Marty.

Doc closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He could barely remember what he had said to Marty; the shock had blinded him, filled him, obscured his thoughts; all he could think of was his other self, locked away from what  
everything could have been and what should have been. He'd taken it all out  
on Marty, and that…

That had been wrong.

He could remember what he'd said to his young friend now, and he could  
hardly believe he'd acted that way. Marty was not to blame. Doc was. He had invented the time machine, he had caused all this. Marty was young, he just hadn't thought, he had never set out to cause any harm.

_Oh, Marty!_

His friend, his best friend in the world, the person who had always stood by  
him…they'd talked together, laughed together, exploded experiments together…Doc had often felt that Marty was the only person in the world who had   
understood him. Everyone else dismissed him as crazy.

And he had abandoned Marty, hadn't even let him come with him in the time   
machine. He couldn't think about it anymore. Shame burned in his heart. He  
saw Marty watching him as he drove away, the look on his face, in his eyes.

You're my best friend, Doc.

It hadn't been a plea for him to stay. It had been a goodbye.

Doc knew he hadn't really intended to leave Marty there like that. He had  
needed some time to cool off, some time to collect his thoughts. Marty had  
thought he was leaving for real; and even though he thought that, he still  
told Doc that he was and always would be his best friend.

Doc would just have to go back and tell Marty how sorry he was, and hope that the boy could somehow forgive him. And then, together, they could try to fix this mess.

He slapped Einstein on the back and turned on the time circuits. He would go straight back to fetch Marty. _Well, not straight back _he amended silently. Doc didn't want to risk running into his other self. He set the time circuits for one minute after he left, even though he was sure that was a pretty wide margin for error. He felt bad for leaving Marty for that long, but he wanted to be safe rather  
than sorry.

'Ready, Einie?' He fastened his seatbelt. 'Let's get back to the future!'

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The DeLorean blasted into 1985 and skidded to a halt where Doc, in this   
time, had left one minute before. Doc threw open the door and clambered out.  
'Marty! Marty, I - '

Marty was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Doc spun around just in time to see a car's rear lights disappear around a corner.

Marty couldn't have been in that car; that was impossible. But where could   
he have gotten?

He burst into the lab. The candles still flickered forlornly. The breeze  
fluttered the edges of the newspapers they'd left on the bench. George McFly  
smiled up at Doc; his own face stared at him in terror, his eyes shone fear. Yet, there was no sign of Marty.

Doc ran out onto the dark street again. Only Einstein and the DeLorean were  
there. The dog tilted his head and looked curiously at his master, wondering what delusion he was under this time.

'Marty!' the Doc called again, but he knew it was hopeless.

Marty was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again to Allanon-One, who added in more description to this story **

The man in the passenger seat of the car turned around to look at Marty.

'This him, Jim?' said one of the men who was gripping Marty. Marty didn't know why he was being held so tightly; the pain and dizziness of being hit so hard was so bad he was hardly able to hold his head up, let alone try escape.

The man in front took a drag of his cigarette and smiled, yellow teeth flashing Marty a hideous smile second only to Biff's drunken leer. 'That's him. That's Tannen's boy.' He reached out roughly to squeeze Marty's chin; he jerked away, sending a fresh throb of pain through his head. The man chuckled. 'We were going to use your older brother or sister, but since your brother's a drunkard and criminal and your sister's in debt, we figured old Biff wouldn't care too much about them…but not you.' He narrowed his dark eyes at Marty. 'When we heard you'd come home from Switzerland, we knew our chance to get something off Biff had finally come.'

Marty felt sick. _Uh oh…this is not good. _'Well, I think you must have made a mistake,' he said, thinking fast. 'Biff hates me most of all. He doesn't give a damn about me – '

'But not your mother, eh?' Marty fell abruptly silent. Jim nodded in satisfaction. 'Thought not. You're her little darling, aren't you? Her baby.' The two on either side of Marty sniggered, and he felt his cheeks flush with rage. 'She'd do anything to keep you safe, wouldn't she? She'll make Biff pay up, all right.'

'Yeah, well…he won't – he won't listen to her…' said Marty helplessly, knowing it was no good.

'What's the matter with you? You want us to kill you now instead of later?' Jim gave him one last look of contempt and turned away.

Marty closed his eyes in despair. Biff wouldn't give them any money that was for sure. Not for Marty, no matter how much his mother pleaded. And Marty would be killed…and then – what would happen? A paradox – that's what Doc kept talking about…

Doc.

All of a sudden, Marty didn't care what happened to him anymore. It was all over, whether he lived or died. Doc was gone, and he wasn't ever coming back. Marty still couldn't bring himself to believe that Doc had left him. Left him.

If Marty died, there would be a paradox or something; or maybe there wouldn't, he didn't know about this sort of thing. Maybe he would just die and this awful 1985 would go on, only for the universe to collapse on itself in October in 2015. He thought then that he would rather die than live. Here he had no one. No Doc. He felt betrayed, even though he knew it was his own fault. If only he hadn't been so stupid in 2015! The worst part of it all was that he knew Doc hated him. No matter what he tried to tell himself, he had seen the evidence for himself. Doc had left him here, and now look at the mess he was in! And whether he lived or died, it was inevitable that the real Marty of this world – who was presumably still in Switzerland – would turn up, and God knows what would happen then. At least his mother would be happy; that is, if Marty lived and she was suddenly landed with _two _of them…

Marty couldn't think about it anymore.

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His kidnapper's headquarters was a tall, shabby-looking building that stood in a street just as quiet as the one where Doc's lab had been. The windows were cracked, in some places they were missing altogether. Marty was pulled out of the car and brought through a small door that led onto the street. A guard stood just behind it, and nodded respectfully to Jim, who was obviously the leader.

The building was dark and gloomy inside, and the air was chill. Marty shivered as he was marched down the long, dark corridor. There were doors on either side of him, but all were shut tightly. There was one lone door at the very end of the corridor, and it stood slightly ajar.

When they reached it, Jim turned and nodded to the two men holding Marty. He was shoved roughly through the door into a small room with no window, a mattress in one corner and a bucket in the other. It was even colder in here than in the corridor.

Jim stood in the door, grinning nastily. 'Welcome to your new home, kid. Guess we'll be contacting Biff to hear his answer. But don't be worrying – you've got three days to live. After that, it's decision time.'

He slammed the door shut and Marty heard the key turn in the lock.

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After an hour of calling and searching for Marty, Doc gave up. Einstein couldn't pick up Marty's scent. That was strange, and Doc thought uneasily that it was likely Marty had been in the car he'd seen driving away just as he re-entered 1985. But why would Marty have gotten into a car with someone? Surely he didn't know anyone here. Perhaps it had been his brother or sister…

Doc and Einstein went back to the lab. It was too dangerous to continue wandering the streets at this time and they both needed some sleep. Einstein curled up in his basket and Doc settled himself into the corner, knowing that it was unlikely he would manage to fall asleep. His head was full of thoughts about Marty. Where could he be in this harsh and unforgiving world? Doc could only hope that he would manage to keep himself out of trouble until the morning and that Doc would find him tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again, Allanon! (It finally went through!) ;)**

Doc was awoken the next morning by something licking his hand. Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the light. Every part of his body ached.

Where was he? Why was he crammed into this corner and what was this dilapidated building? He glanced down, and saw Einstein licking his hand. Rubbing his eyes, he rubbed Einstein's head and got stiffly to his feet.

Sunlight was streaming through the gaps in the boards of the wall. Doc remembered now, the horrifying events of last night – the alternate 1895, discovering that his other self had been legally declared insane, his anger at Marty – who had now disappeared.

Doc swore softly, aware that it was his own fault that Marty was wandering around somewhere in this awful place. He would just have to search everywhere for the kid, and hope that he wasn't recognised as the mad scientist who had been locked away.

'You stay here, Einie,' he told his dog. 'I won't be long. With a bit of luck, we can sort this mess out, if we can find Marty…' _And if Marty forgives me, _he added to himself. He wouldn't blame Marty if he never so much as looked at him again.

_You're my best friend, Doc._

In remembering Marty's last words to him, Doc felt a glimmer of hope. Marty had known what Doc was doing to him, yet still felt able to call him his friend. But with the hope came almost overwhelming sorrow. Doc had treated him so badly, but Marty was as good-hearted as he always had been. In 2015 he had just been a kid not thinking straight. Doc had been downright cruel.

It was up to him to set it right.

Giving his dog one last pat and hoping that the next time he saw him it would be in the normal 1985, he stepped out into the street. The sunlight was strong, but the street was as deserted as it had been last night. It was still early morning though, as many of the curtains in the windows were drawn.

Doc started determinedly up the street, making for the casino. Perhaps Marty had gone back to his mother, and was there; if Doc hung around for long enough, he might see him coming out.

He didn't have to go halfway up the street to find out where Marty was. His face was staring at him from a newspaper lying on a doorstep.

His heart hammering, Doc snatched up the newspaper and quickly scanned the article. _Martin McFly…returned from boarding school in Switzerland…Kidnapped last night and demand for 500 million made… 'I won't give them a cent,' says Biff Tannen…_

Marty had been left for one minute in this world and already he had gotten himself kidnapped. Kidnapped! Doc had thought things were bad last night…they were worse off now. How was he ever going to help Marty? He couldn't find out where Biff had hidden the almanac without him.

He threw the newspaper to the ground, trying to calm himself. Right. He couldn't rescue Marty, for the simple reason that he had no idea where he was. So if he could find out where he'd been taken…

The car! The car that Doc had seen driving away just as he'd come back from 1940…Marty must have been in it! If he'd only followed it in the DeLorean…but it was too late to worry about that now. It was too late to worry about a lot of things. But how would he find out where Marty was?

Wait – how stupid was he? He had a _time machine._

He hesitated. Going back in time to follow the car would solve a lot of problems, but it was risky. He could very well end up bumping into himself – or _this self_, the person he was right now…

No, he would go back in time. If he were careful, he wouldn't see himself at all. Turning on his heel, he hurried back to the lab to fetch the DeLorean.

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Marty was woken up by someone coming into his cell. Squinting blearily, he saw it was one of the men who'd dragged him into the car last night. He was setting a glass of water down on the floor, but no food. 'Your old man says he's not paying,' he said, grinning nastily at Marty. 'Didn't even have to think about it. Just said no. Really cares for you, doesn't he?'

Marty sat up, sleepiness washed away by a wave of anger. 'He's not my old man,' he replied through gritted teeth. 'George McFly is my father.'

'If you like. Reckon you'll be joining him soon enough. You got two days left for Tannen to change his mind. Wonder if he will?' Chuckling, the man left, and Marty heard him lock the door again.

He flopped back down on the hard mattress. 'Perfect,' he muttered. He wasn't at all surprised that Biff had refused to pay up. He wondered what his mother would say. Would she give in to Biff, just as she had last night? Or would she fight for Marty's life?

She hadn't looked like Marty's mother at all – all revealing clothes and glitzy jewellery and fake…_things_; but she was still his mother, no matter what she said or acted. Even if she had married Biff.

'Well, Doc, I'm what your other self is now,' said Marty aloud. 'Locked away. Trouble is, I'm going to be killed in a few days.'

He couldn't feel anything about this. It was as if all feeling had been drained out of him when Doc had left him here. And when he thought about that again, he knew there was no point in living anymore when his best friend was gone and everyone else in this world was either a stranger or a crook.

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10 seconds after Doc had left Marty in the alternate 1985 and 50 seconds before he came back again, Doc arrived in the nighttime.

He had entered this time a few streets away from his lab, otherwise Marty might see him. He had thought about running to get Marty before he could be kidnapped, but quickly dismissed the idea – because his other self would be arriving in 50 seconds, and then Marty would have never been kidnapped and he wouldn't come back here – it was too complicated.

Doc drove quickly to the street where he had left Marty, keeping the DeLorean's headlights off so that Marty wouldn't see him coming. Just as he rounded the corner, he saw Marty being pulled into a car. He saw the teen hit hard over the head, and clenched the steering wheel tight in anger.

The car drove off, and Doc quickly followed them, still not turning on the headlights so that the kidnappers wouldn't see him coming after them. As the car in front started to turn a corner, Doc heard the three sonic booms behind him and a glint of light in his mirror that signalled the arrival of his other self.


	5. Chapter 5

**Arís, go raibh maith agat, Allanon-One! Hope y'all like this chapter, everyone.**

Doc followed Marty's kidnappers in the DeLorean, thankful that they weren't driving too fast; he was easily able to keep up and without drawing attention to himself. When they finally reached their destination, he pulled up at the side of the road and peered through the front window to see what they were doing. They were getting out of the car…and he could see a small figure being pulled out – Marty. He was dragged to a door in the building and shoved inside…Doc squinted, trying to make out what was going on among the small cluster of people; but then they were all inside and the door slammed shut.

So that was that. Marty was kidnapped, and Biff Tannen was refusing to pay the ransom. Doc drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. What could he do now?

He could rescue Marty himself, but how on earth was he supposed to do that? One of him couldn't do very much against a bunch of thugs who were almost certainly armed. OK, leave that option for now. There had to be another way.

He could pay the kidnappers the money himself on the condition that they let Marty go. He laughed mirthlessly at the thought. Five hundred million? There was no way in hell he would ever, ever get that kind of money. And whatever sort of action he was going to take, he had to do it fast.

He could tell the police where Marty was.

He hesitated. It was a dangerous risk to take. In this 1985, he'd been declared legally insane; if he was recognized…he just couldn't think about the consequences.

Rain beat down on the windscreen, blurring the street from view. It was beginning to get cold inside the DeLorean, but Doc barely noticed. He wished he had a friend in this world, someone he could talk to, who would help him in rescuing Marty…

Wait a moment. Lorraine McFly – Marty's mother. They had met a few times, and Lorraine, remembering him as "Calvin Klein's" uncle, and was quite friendly to him. Could she possibly look kindly towards him now, even in this awful alternate world? If he told her where Marty was, she was sure to believe him. She was sure to take action.

Doc shrugged to himself and started up the DeLorean again, driving away down the street. A spark of hope had ignited inside him. He would spend the night in the car, to avoid his other self who was at the lab, and go to Biff's Pleasure Paradise in the morning to try and speak to Lorraine.

It was not a prospect he was looking forward to.

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The next morning, after grabbing a quick bite to eat, Doc made his way towards the steps of Biff's Pleasure Paradise. Drunks were slumped on the ground everywhere. In the distance there was shouting and the wail of sirens; but compared to last night it was quiet. Presumably the bikers were in bed, Doc thought with a roll of his eyes.

He found the reception area and made his way to the desk. He had his hat pulled low over his eyes, trying not to be recognized at the risk of looking suspicious.

The girl slumped at the reception desk had dark circles under her eyes and was chomping on a piece of gum. She glanced up at Doc in a bored way as he approached.

'Yeah? What do you want?'

'Hello, I'm, uh, looking for Lorraine McFl – I mean, Lorraine Baines – er, Lorraine – Lorraine Tannen.' Doc winced, shadowed by the brim of his hat. Not a good start.

The girl stared at him for a couple of seconds, then raised heavily plucked eyebrows. 'You're kidding, right?'

'No.'

'Look, mister, you can't just demand to see Mrs Tannen whenever you feel like. She hardly ever sees anyone. _Especially_ not today.' The girl's eyes lit up with gory delight. 'Haven't you heard? Her son's been kidnapped.'

'Yes, I heard,' said Doc, fighting a powerful urge to slap the girl across the face. He couldn't bear to see her taking such obvious enjoyment in the news. 'In fact, that's why I'm here. I have information concerning his kidnapping.'

If the girl's mouth hung open any further her gum would fall out onto the desk. 'Seriously?'

'_Yes,_' said Doc, unable to keep the bite of impatience from his voice.

The girl stared at him a moment or two more; then, to his relief, she reached for the intercom. 'OK, but don't blame me if she doesn't believe you or something,' she said, pressing a button.

Several seconds later Lorraine answered. 'Yes?' she snapped.

The receptionist's tone had become respectful. 'Mrs Tannen, I hate to bother you, but there's someone here who says he knows something about your son's kidnapping.'

A pause, then, 'What's his name?'

'Um…' The girl glanced at Doc.

'Tell her that we've met before,' Doc said eagerly. 'Say that I'm Cal – uhm, Marty Klein's uncle.' Saying he was the uncle of a famous fashion designer certainly wasn't going to do him any favours in the receptionist's eyes.

The girl repeated this information into the speaker. There was a longer pause before Lorraine replied, 'Send him up.'


	6. Chapter 6

X

Doc felt intensely nervous as he stood outside the Tannens' door on the twenty-seventh floor. What if Lorraine refused to believe him? And what if Biff was here? This was a possibility Doc had neglected to consider. Coming face-to-face with Biff Tannen would be a disastrous scenario.

He had already pressed the buzzer, though, and before he could have second thoughts about this the door opened and Lorraine Baines-McFly-Tannen stood looking at him.

She was very different from the Marty's mother that Doc knew. Her face was smudged in last night's makeup, and there was something, or was it something that _wasn't_ in her eyes that hadn't been there before. And there was something – _two_ somethings – on her that certainly hadn't been there before either.

'Doctor Brown,' said Lorraine. It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Doc managed to tear his eyes away from her enlarged chest. 'Er, yes. Um…' He wasn't quite sure what to say now that he was here.

'You better come in,' said Lorraine, and when he stepped inside she shut the door. He was standing on a staircase looking down into a large room decorated in blood reds and gaudy golds. It was all very expensive looking and completely tasteless. Biff Tannen, Doc was quite relieved to see, was nowhere in the immediate vicinity.

He followed Lorraine down the stairs and she invited him to sit down on one of the many sofas. She sat opposite him. Only then did he see how bloodshot her eyes were.

'The last I heard of you, you were locked away,' said Lorraine flatly. 'Did you escape?'

'It's a long story,' said Doc hastily. 'I assure you that I'm perfectly sane.'

Lorraine shrugged. 'I always thought you were. You seemed sane enough when I met you,' she said matter-of-factly. 'Biff's never admitted it, but I have a feeling he was involved somehow.' She suddenly leaned forward, something like desperation in her face. 'Do you know where my son is?'

'Yes,' said Doc honestly.

Lorraine slumped back in her seat, her face crumpling. 'Oh, thank God,' she whispered, her shoulders beginning to shake. 'Thank God…oh, my Marty…'

'Your – your husband is still refusing to pay up then?' said Doc hesitantly.

Lorraine nodded, tears pouring down her face. 'The bastard. I wish I'd never married him – oh, I wish I hadn't! Not that I wanted to… and I never realised that he would refuse to save the life of one of my own children…'

She looked so stricken that Doc's heart ached for her, and prayed that he would be able to set this world normal again for everyone's sake.

'We fought last night,' whispered Lorraine, almost to herself. 'He stormed out – I don't know where he went. He left me here – and my youngest son is kidnapped, and he'll be dead in a few days if we don't do something…'

Doc got to his feet and went over to her. He laid a hand on her shoulder. 'We can do something about it right away. Will you call the police?'

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While the police stormed the kidnappers' hideout, Doc waited on the other side of the street, the hat still pulled lowover his eyes. He was glad that Lorraine or the police hadn't plagued him with questions about how he knew where Marty was, and that he hadn't been required to speak with the police, only to give them the address. They would have been sure to recognize him. Doc had driven here in the DeLorean and left it parked in a side street while he came to watch himself. All that remained now was to see whether Marty would be brought outside alive and well. Doc could see Lorraine sitting in the back of one of the police cars.

The police had gone in with weapons drawn, and there now came the occasional shout or thump from inside the building. Doc was biting his lip so hard it hurt. Silence…his heart was pounding inside his ears…

Then men were being led out of the building, all in handcuffs, all wearing incredibly surly expressions. Several were shouting, but Doc didn't hear the words; all of his attention was riveted on the doorway of the building, waiting…where was Marty? He couldn't be dead, could he? Doc clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. _He could not be dead…_

And there he was! Doc nearly felt like crying with relief and joy. His young friend was being led outside by two police officers. His hair was standing on end, his face was pale and he looked dazed by everything that was going on…but he was alive, and unhurt.

'Marty! Oh, Marty!'

Lorraine was running up the sidewalk towards her son. She caught him in a hug, pulling him closely to her. 'Oh, my Marty…I am so sorry…thank God you're alive…' At this point she dissolved into sobs.

'I – I'm fine, Mom, don't cry…' said Marty awkwardly.

A police officer came up to them. 'You should take him to the hospital, Mrs Tannen, just to check him over.'

'No, no, I'm fine,' said Marty, looking horrified at the idea. 'Seriously, I'm just a bit tired, that's all…'

'Well, it's up to your mother,' said the police officer. She smiled. 'We'll let you get some rest now, but we'll have to call you down to the station later to answer some questions, OK?'

'Yeah…OK, whatever,' said Marty distractedly. 'Look, Mom, I've really gotta go now…'

'Go, Marty? What are you talking about?' cried Lorraine. 'You're coming home with me now. You have to recover…maybe I _will_ take you to the doctor.'

'No, Mom!' said Marty hastily. 'It's OK…I'm fine. You're right, I'll go home now.'

'We'll give you a lift back,' said the officer, holding the car door open for them.

On the other side of the road, Doc watched them drive away from underneath the brim of his hat. He realised now that he was trembling with relief. Marty was unhurt, and safe for now. Hopefully he would find out that Doc had come back for him, and then he could come and find Doc.

Or would he?

Doc sighed and began to make his way back to the DeLorean. He wouldn't be surprised if Marty never forgave him. But surely the teenager would want to set this alternate world right?

Doc would wait in his lab for Marty…and if he came to him, he would try his best to earn his forgiveness.


	7. Chapter 7

When Marty and Lorraine entered the penthouse on the twenty-seventh floor, Lorraine made straight for the mini bar, even though it was only afternoon. Marty was looking around uneasily, remembering the other night…the confrontation between Biff and his mother…and then he'd found out that his father was dead.

He still couldn't believe that. In fact, he was having trouble believing that he'd been rescued. After the solitude and hunger of captivity, the outside world seemed oddly surreal. Well, apart from the fact that it was a terrible alternate world.

And then it hit him: he was alive. He had been rescued. He was going to have to live in this awful alternate reality for the rest of his days. He wished they'd killed him.

He went to the couch and sank onto it, his head falling into his hands.

'Are you sure you're all right, Marty?' he mother said anxiously. She was absentmindedly swilling the liquid in the glass. 'Do you need aspirin? Maybe you should go and have a rest. And get out of those dirty clothes…oh, but we don't have any of yours here. Well, I'm sure we can find something of your father's to fit you…'

'My father!' spat Marty. He leapt to his feet, his exhaustion and aches forgotten. 'Biff ain't my father, Mom. Wasn't he supposed to pay money to rescue me? Somehow, I don't think he was going to!'

Lorraine's eyes slid away from him as she took a swig from her glass. 'I'm sure he had his reasons,' he mumbled.

'His reasons?' said Marty in disbelief. 'Mom, they were going to kill me! Biff wouldn't pay up to save my life? How could you have married him? He doesn't give a shit about us – or you!'

Lorraine's face crumpled and she began to sob. 'Oh, you're right, Marty,' she wept. 'He's a monster. I wish I'd never met him – I was only thinking of the money.' Tears streamed down her face. 'I've only realised now how truly cruel he is. To think that you would have died…if it hadn't been for Doctor Brown – '

Marty's head snapped out. 'Doctor Brown?' he interrupted in a strangled tone. Inside, his heart had leapt. _Doc was back? He had come back for him? _He tried to speak more normally. 'Doctor Brown?' he repeated casually. 'Isn't he – er – insane?'

'He said he escaped,' said Lorraine, dabbing at her eyes. 'He certainly didn't seem insane to me. He saved your life, Marty; I hope he never gets – Marty, where are you going?'

Marty was already heading for the door. 'I gotta go, Mom,' he said over his shoulder. 'See you later, OK?' He sincerely hoped he would not see her later. This version of her, anyway.

'No, Marty!' Lorraine staggered after him and grabbed him roughly by his T-shirt. 'Please don't go! Biff will be back soon. He'll be back as soon as he finds out you've been rescued. Don't leave me…'

'I'm sorry, Mom,' said Marty brokenly, prying her fingers away from him. 'I'll be back soon. I swear.'

She just looked at him, her lips trembling, and the glass in her hand shaking. 'Bye, Mom,' said Marty; unable to look at her any more, he turned away and ran for the door.

----------------------------------------------------------

By the time he reached Doc's dilapidated lab he was sweating and panting. He hesitated on the sunlit street, remembering what had taken place there only last night. It seemed like years ago. Doc, driving off, leaving Marty…the kidnapping…

Marty pushed his hair away from his face, feeling inexplicably nervous. 'Here goes,' he muttered, and entered the lab.

He didn't see Doc at first. Sunlight was streaming through the gaps in the walls, dust specks swirling in the beams. Marty felt an overwhelming relief to see the DeLorean parked there. So Doc hadn't abandoned him again…at least not yet.

Then he spotted the legs dangling out of the DeLorean's passenger door, and heard a muttering. 'Damn thing…'

Marty took a deep breath. 'Uh…Doc?'

Doc stood up so fast he whacked his head off the sagging gullwing door. 'Marty,' he gasped. His face was inexplicably pale.

Marty tried to say something, but to his surprise, when he opened his mouth no words came out. For one long, long moment he and Doc simply stared at each other in silence, although Marty was sure Doc was able to hear his heart thumping against his ribs. He'd never been so overjoyed to see Doc in all his life…and yet…all he could see was Doc driving him away, leaving him here in the dark and the wind and the rain.

'Marty,' Doc repeated after what seemed an eternity. His voice was slightly hoarse. 'You – are – are you –' He cleared his throat. 'Are you alright?'

Marty nodded, and glanced away. He found himself suddenly fighting back tears, and the lump in his throat was so large it was painful.

_How could you do it, Doc? How the hell could you leave me here? I thought you weren't ever coming back. And I'm so glad to see you now, but I just can't believe what you did to me. _

_It hurts._

'I'm sorry, Marty.'

The words were spoken so softly Marty wasn't sure he'd heard them at first. His head jerked up. 'What?'

'I'm sorry,' said Doc. 'The things I said and did to you are – unforgivable. But I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I want you to know that I came straight back for you, but you were gone by then. I – won't blame you if you never want to talk to me again, but – you're my best friend, Marty. I'll never be able to say sorry enough times.'

The DeLorean, pulling away; Doc's face; the feeling of complete and utter shock and helplessness and sorrow. _You're my best friend, Doc._

Marty rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes. 'Well, I'm sorry, too. You were right to be mad. Everything is my fault.' He looked up at Doc, and instantly knew one thing. If they shook hands right now and didn't speak again about this incident, they would never again share the same level of friendship that they had once enjoyed. There would be too many things left unsaid, too much simmering under the surface. So he had to say it – as much as he hated doing it, he knew he would regret it deeply later in life if he didn't.

'But – it hurt, Doc, y'know? I mean – I just didn't understand how you could do that to me.' His voice trembled and Doc's eyes were unusually bright. 'Then I was kidnapped and I thought you weren't ever coming back, and I was going to die. I kinda almost wanted to die.' He took a deep breath. What the hell was he going on about? He wasn't making any sense. But somehow, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders just by saying it.

He shrugged and managed a shaky grin at Doc. 'But you're back, and I guess – I guess everything's OK now. You're still my best friend, and you always will be.'

'Oh, Marty.' Doc crossed over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. Marty hugged him back fiercely. Against his will, hot tears welled in his eyes and leaked onto his face.

After a while, Doc pulled back, trying to inconspicuously wipe his sleeve across his face. Marty hid a grin while also attempting to dry his own eyes.

'Right then,' said Doc, his voice only trembling a little. 'That's sorted – right?'

'You're the doc, Doc,' said Marty, grinning at him properly.

Doc nodded. 'Now we've got to make a plan.' He rubbed his hands together, a spark to his eyes that wasn't there minutes ago. 'We have to get the book back from Biff!'

**Well, this could be the end of the story! (But it mightn't be; I may write a sequel at some point.) Thanks to everyone who kindly reviewed - glad you liked the story - and thanks a million Allanon-One for being my beta-reader :) Hope that you can help again with the sequel in the future.**


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